Classes for Vo-Tech Juniors, Seniors Begin Next Fall.
By Melanie Gleaves, The Morning Call (Allentown, Penn.)
Today’s high school students could be tomorrow’s security experts on the front lines of a campaign to protect Americans against terrorism, thanks to a new program at Upper Bucks County Area Vocational-Technical School.
Mindful of the growing potential for security-related jobs after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the school in Bedminster Township will offer a protective services program next fall.
The program, designed for juniors and seniors from the Palisades, Pennridge and Quakertown Community school districts, is thought to be one of only a handful of its kind in the state, said Robert G. Barlett, the school’s administrative director.
Students will be trained in everything from the rules of criminal procedure to unarmed self-defense, preparing them for jobs or further training in law enforcement, security fields, and emergency medical services.
“Terrorism is an item that never seems to come off the front burner,” said Barlett, who constantly monitors reports from the U.S. Department of Labor to keep a finger on the pulse of the job market. “It’s something really current right now.”
The program can accommodate up to 40 students -- 20 in a morning session and 20 in the afternoon.
With the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, student interest in security-related fields such as law enforcement, terrorism prevention, and emergency medical services has never been greater, Barlett said.
Between 170,000 and 200,000 workers from 22 agencies will work under the department, “and there will be offshoots from that,” Barlett said.
But there was interest in security jobs before the legislation for the department, which President Bush signed into law Monday. When the vo-tech surveyed students about their occupational goals a year ago, security and protective service jobs ranked high on the list, Barlett said. Nearly half of the students who expressed interest were women.
Government data also bear out a growing demand for law enforcement and emergency workers.
The need for police, detectives, emergency medical technicians, paramedics and security workers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Until now, the only way students interested in protective services could get training was to volunteer with an emergency medical service or fire department, Barlett said.
The protective services program will be funded by a $ 56,767 grant from the state Education Department. It will pay the salary for a program director, whom Barlett hopes to have on board after Jan. 1. The vo-tech will apply for two more state grants to help pay for equipment purchases and programming in future years, Barlett said.
In the coming year, the director will work with area law enforcement agencies to compile a list of classroom speakers and establish an occupational advisory committee of law enforcement experts who will help the school on curriculum and other matters.
The director is also expected to work with the Fraternal Order of Police, the world’s largest organization of law enforcement officials. The group, Barlett said, had expressed interest in developing a protective services program for the school.
Students in the program will learn about Pennsylvania’s criminal and motor vehicle codes, the liquor control code, and fish and game laws.
Barlett said he expects students will also take part in mock rescues, mock transportation of injured patients, even mock criminal investigations.